It had been 2 years since we skied!While I missed shushing down the slopes with great
speed (well, with medium speed well, I guess comparatively slow speed when you think
about how fast the other skiers are going), I didnt miss stuffing myself into the
bulky clothing and clunky boots and carrying the awkward equipment to and from the car.But, when a ski trip was suggested by the same
group we skied with twice before, I mostly remembered the great time we had sharing a
great big house, eating breakfast & dinner together, laughing, playing cards and just
enjoying each others company.I signed
us up right away!

In the past, we had rented a house in
Huntsville, Utah near PowderMountain and SnowBasin resorts.The house could generously be called
rustic, but it served our purposes perfectly, sleeping up to 19 people.I didnt know what our accommodations would be
for this trip.

My friends have really embraced the
evite, www.evite.com, which I also like because if you
forget the details of an invitation, you can just log in and not only see the details, but
see who is coming as well!The evite for this
trip just showed the dates, no details about the accommodations, but I later learned that
one of our friends from the previous trips had very generously volunteered his newly
acquired rental property in DeerValley.

Things at work had really started to
heat up since Travelport had acquired Worldspan so I wasnt sure if I would be
afforded the time to go on this trip.I
changed our response to maybe and then immediately changed it back to
yes and decided that we WOULD go even if it was just for a few days.

As the time drew closer, I learned
that I would be needed for some Travelport meetings at our Denver location the week
before the trip.I decided I could go to Denver Monday through
Friday and then pop over to Salt Lake City Saturday through Tuesday and be back in Atlanta for some
important meetings on Wednesday.

The next big challenge was packing.Those same moths that had gotten into our closet
and stitched up the seams of our bibs, making them fit a little tighter two years ago had
been hard at work again.This time their
stitching had made both of our bibs uncomfortably tight, so we decided that it was time to
buy some Big Girl and Big Boy bibs.Not
wishing to take a chance, I bought some Huge Girl bibs that I can use for
several years, even if those pesky moths get hold of them again.

I packed for my business trip in my
roll-aboard suitcase and my ski trip in a duffle bag, both of them small enough to carry
on if it was necessary.I decided to go ahead
and check the ski bag on my way out, since weekday business travel usually means competing
for overhead space with a lot of inconsiderate businessmen who put their laptops and
jackets in overheads that were clearly meant for roll-aboards and duffle bags!

Since the evite showed the trip
starting on Saturday, we decided that Tony should join me in Denver on Friday evening.We would spend the night there and then fly
together to Salt Lake City on Saturday morning.About
mid-week, while I was in Denver, I glanced back at the evite to see who was coming and to get
the details on the trip.Thank goodness I did
because I noticed our hosts response had changed to I'll
be there - and there's room if anyone can come in earlier. The house is open starting
Thursday!

Tony and I pow-wowed over
the phone and decided that instead of the Denver overnight Friday night we would just meet
in Salt Lake City Friday night.The flights
worked out perfectly.There was a non-stop
from Atlanta that arrived in SaltLake at the same that the puddle-jumper arrived from Denver.

I found a great deal on a
rental car with Enterprisewww.enterprise.com.We reserved an economy car for $13.47/day!I emailed John, the host to let him know that we
were planning to arrive Friday night and would be at the house around 8PM.He
responded that for Friday night, there would be six of us.His business partner Jim, Jims wife Lyn, our friend Mark, me and Tony.

Both of our flights
arrived within 10 minutes of each other.I
picked up my luggage and met Tony at the Enterprise counter.Kyle
at the Enterprise counter was very friendly, introducing himself
and shaking our hands.This was his second day
on the job.He spouted the company line very
well, You know it snows out here in the canyons a lot, you might want to upgrade to
a 4 wheel drive.We declined, since the
roads were clear now and we didnt really plan to do a lot of driving.We also declined the insurance and fuel options,
disappointing Kyle, but he cheerfully walked us out into the parking garage and took us to
our, drum roll please, 4 wheel drive 7 passenger Jeep Commander!

Tony familiarized himself
with all of the controls while I mounted Jill (the GPS) on the windshield and plugged in
the address of the house in DeerValley.I
tried to call our friends at the house a few times but nobody was answering their cell
phones.Tony suggested we stop for dinner on
the way, but I was pretty sure the crowd we were joining would be busy in the kitchen
preparing something delectable, so I vetoed his suggestion.45 minutes after landing, we were on Queen Esther Drive looking for the street number of the house.It was dark and impossible to find the house
numbers, but when we saw people stirring around in the kitchen of one of the houses, we
decided to stop there.

We pulled into the
driveway and were able to see that we were at the right house!The gang was surprised to see us, expecting us to
call for directions.We told them to check
their cell phones and they sheepishly admitted that they had missed calls.Thank goodness for Jill!

One of the benefits of
being one of the first to arrive on a trip like this is that you get dibs on the best
bedroom!Ours was the main level master (there
was also a master suite upstairs).We
had our own flat panel TV and plenty of closet space.Our bathroom opened onto the
entry hall.

This house was AMAZING.It was HUGE, but unlike our last ski rental, this
one was REALLY, REALLY NICE!We dropped our
bags and took the tour.The place just went on
and on.

The upstairs master had a
closet that was as big as the other bedrooms.It
had a private bathroom with separate tub and shower.The
upstairs master also had its own flat panel TV.

Back on the main level,
there was a living area with a fireplace that opened onto the dining area.

Off of the living area
was an office with its own sitting area and a flat panel TV.Wow, we were starting to think that this place had more (and nicer 
not difficult to do) TVs than we do!

Continuing the tour
downstairs, we found another living area with a fireplace and a flat panel TV.

The bunk room was next. It would sleep 10 people if it needed to!The two bunk beds had a double bed on the bottom, a
single bed on top, and there was a double trundle bed under the bottom bunk!This room had its own TV too!

There was a community
bathroom and closet area for the bunk room residents.

We made a detour outside
to see the hot tub.There was a heated mat on
the walkway leading to the tub!

At the end of a long
hallway, was a private suite which was designated for the couple that would be bringing
their baby.They had a private bathroom.Oh, and their room had a TV too!I lost count!

There was another
half-bath in the hallway.

One more bedroom was beneath
ours.There was another full bathroom near
that bedroom.Oh, and guess what?Yep  that bedroom had a TV.

With the tour almost
over, we returned to the main level to finish the tour with a glass of wine from the wine
rack which was above the wine refrigerator.Next
to the wine center, we found the best feature of the place.The Dining Room Table!It sits
kitty-cornered on the main level and seats 14 comfortably.

There was a little
reading nook tucked in next to the dining area.

The kitchen was bright
and cheery and arranged so that it had
multiple preparation areas for our competing chefs, which as it turned out on this trip, were mostly males!

They had laid out an
appetizer buffet of chips, salsa, crackers and homemade pimento cheese.While we noshed on the appetizers, Jim prepared
prime rib and John grilled broccoli for our meal.Thank
goodness we had not stopped for dinner on the way!

After dinner, Mark
entertained us with his juggling.He needs to
brush up a bit before he performs publicly.

We slept well and awoke
to a winter wonderland and the smell of sausage!

Jim and I had a little
work to do, but since the house had wi-fi, it was no problem to answer a few emails over
breakfast.

Soon, we heard the sound
of the snowplow clearing our driveway.What a
nice service!I remembered the running start
we had to use to get up the driveway of our last snowy rental house!

Jim, Lyn, John and Mark
declared that they would ski that day.They
were going to take a van and drop it in Salt
Lake City for the folks who would be
arriving that day before starting.Tony and I
had already discussed that our plans for the day did not include skiing so we volunteered
to make the run into SaltLake to pick up some of the crew.I think the original plan called
for the seven people plus a baby to all ride together in one minivan, but they quickly
realized that the plan was unworkable.Brian,
Sherry, Tryggvi, Lee Ann and Baby Ryen filled up the minivan, so there was no room for
Scott, Kirsten and Mike.We took
the Jeep Commander and picked up the stragglers at the airport.

We headed for Canyon Sports so we
could rent our equipment.Tony and I told the
salesman that we were only planning to ski for 2 days.He advised that it would probably be cheaper to rent our equipment at the
slopes for 2 days rather than renting for 3 days in town.Since there was precious little room in the car, we decided to take his
advice.

We had
planned to stop for a few groceries, but there wasnt one square inch of space in
which to put them, so we just made a stop at the liquor store and then headed back to Deer
Valley.

When we got back to the
house, we found Mark and John had decided not to go skiing after all.They had been busy taste testing some cocktails.There was still grocery shopping to be done so
Sherry and I left Baby Ryen with the eight questionably capable baby-sitters and headed
out.A chair was placed on its side at the top
of the stairs in lieu of a baby gate.We were
going to pick one up at Wal-Mart but when we got there, we discovered that they
didnt have any wide enough for the opening.

When we got home, we
heard in great detail about the incredibly dirty diaper that had to be changed.I think they contemplated putting the baby in the
dishwasher until Sherry got back, but ultimately I think Kirsten managed to get it all
cleaned up.Ryen was very happy to see her
mom.

Dinner that night was
Pork Roast with fingerling potatoes, roasted green beans, and garlic toast.A 5 star restaurant has never made a lovelier or
more delicious presentation!

Over dinner, John and Jim
told us how they had bought the house.They
said they looked at 55 properties in one weekend, but when John saw the dining room table
in this house, he had to hide his delight from the sellers.

Loading the dishwasher
was a bit of a puzzle.If the plates stood on
edge, they interfered with rotating sprinkler head thingy.

As has become customary with this
crowd, Texas Hold-Em was the evenings activity.Mark, the Poker Nazi, was the table captain.He won.I think it was because
everyone else went all in just to get away from him!Kidding!He does run a tight ship though at his poker table.But dont worry about remembering the rules,
if you break one, hell be sure to remind you.

Sunday, the skiers had decided to go
to DeerValley.Tony and I left before the others because we needed
to rent our equipment.We didnt leave
before the bacon was done though.Have I
mentioned that bacon is my favorite food?

The snow-boarders (Mark, Mike and
Brian) decided to wait for Kristis flight to arrive and then drive over to PowderMountain.They werent sure how to get there so I loaned
them Jill.I think I may have sold 4 more
Garmin Nuvis.They loved her.She even showed them how to get to the Shooting
Star Saloon.

Baby Ryen got dressed to go out and
enjoy the snow, but she didnt like it very much.Sherry thinks Ryen is going to be a beach girl like her mom.

At DeerValley, we filled out all
of the paperwork without noticing the prices.We
were shocked when the 2 days for the two of us came to $188.00.That fellow at Canyon Sports sure steered us wrong.We would have been much better off renting from him
for 3 days than renting at DeerValley for 2.I dont
know if I am convinced I like this renting thing.

It was pretty and sunny on the lower
slopes.After a few runs we decided to head up
top.

The higher we got, the foggier and
snowier it got.By the time we got off the
lift, we had a hard time seeing the trail markings.

A little further down, it cleared up
a bit, but it was still kind of gray.

We were glad when we got the call
from the group that we were meeting for lunch at the mid-mountain Silver Lake Lodge.We split a few slices of pizza and enjoyed some of
the locally brewed beer.

After lunch, Tony said
he wanted to make one more run and then head back to the house.We went back up to the top and posed for a group
picture.

Tony left me with Scott for the
afternoon.I think Scott was relieved to ski
with me after spending the morning with the reckless daredevils.After a few more runs, we found Tony in the lodge
at the bottom and headed back to the house.John was making his signature
quesadillas for our afternoon snack!

We had lasagna for dinner.The after dinner Poker game went on well past midnight.Girls RULED!Kirsten
and I finally ousted Mike, the last male at the table, then after pushing the stack of
chips back and forth a few times, we decided to split the money and go to bed.

Before we left for the slopes, I
decided to go out and take some pictures of the little playhouse in the front yard.It was hard to negotiate my way through the thigh
high snow, and I was starting to think it might have been a mistake not letting anyone
know where I was going.If I got stuck out
there, at least it was a comfortable little house.

We went to ParkCity for the day.It was sunny and beautiful.There were lots of easy blue slopes that Tony and I
enjoyed.At the top of one of the lifts, Tony
found a purple cylinder that looked like a magic marker.We picked it up and inspected it.It
had a surgeon generals warning on the side.We
looked inside and found something that looked like a cigar.

We met the group for lunch at the Pig Pen Saloon.The boys went ga-ga over Toni, the waitress.She was a cutie.We handed our cigar find over to the group for inspection.The consensus was that it was a joint.

Tony was finished skiing after lunch
so he volunteered to do our grocery shopping.I
decided to explore some more of the mountain on my own.I turned on my MP3 player and worked my way across the mountain, taking
various lifts and runs.When I had gotten just
about as far away from the base as I could get, my phone rang.It was Tony, wanting to know where I was.The rest of the group was at the base.I looked at my watch and was surprised to find that
it was 4 oclock.I started
panicking because I knew the lifts closed at 4 and I wasnt sure how I would get back
to the base.Thankfully some of the upper
lifts stay open past 4 so I was able to work my way back.I found the group at the Pig Pen Saloon.They were happily enjoying libations served by Toni, the waitress from
lunch.

Tony and I left them there and drove
back over to DeerValley to turn in our skis.We
were surprised that we werent given a receipt when we returned the equipment.We even spoke to a manager and were told that they
dont issue receipts.We didnt want
there to be any mix-up, so we had them initial our rental papers.

By the time we got back to the Pig
Pen to pick up our friends, they had enjoyed quite a few beverages.They were very entertaining!We poured them into the car and took them back to the house.

There was a nice selection of
appetizers waiting for us.We enjoyed those
while our chefs prepared Stuffed Pork Loin with Beans and Rice.We had to be back in Salt
Lake City early the next day, so Tony and I did not
participate in the Poker that night.I
didnt hear who won.

We had planned to take the 10:00AM nonstop back to Atlanta, but as we were
driving to the airport, I checked the availability for the flight.It looked pretty tight so we started thinking about
alternatives.I tried to call a couple of
friends to get advice but couldnt catch anyone at their desk.I had discovered a route through Chicago that had worked
well for my sisters family a few weeks prior so we decided to try that.

We went ahead and
checked in for the 10AM flight so we could get through security before trying to change
our itinerary.We decided not to check any
bags so we would have all of our options open.

We found the Chicago gate and the
agents were not busy so we asked about changing our itinerary to go through Chicago.They were really nice and checked the availability
as well as the weather in Chicago to make sure we wouldnt get stuck there.They cleared us in First Class and sent us on our
way.

In Chicago, we barely had
time to stop into the Crown Room before our connection left.We checked to see how we would have done on the 10AM flight.To our surprise, it still had not left SaltLake.It had taken a mechanical delay.Sometimes you just get lucky!

We thought we might get first class
on the next leg as well, but no such luck.This
time we got coach seats right in front of a screaming baby.To make things worse, we had a good bit of turbulence so the seatbelt light
never went out.This only really became a
problem when the mom behind us couldnt take Baby Big Lungs to the bathroom for a
diaper change.Peuw!

We landed at 4:15PM.Another GREAT trip!Thanks to our good friend John and our new friends Jim and Lyn for their
hospitality.If you want to enjoy this great
house, see http://www.vrbo.com/88858.